Blogging is easier than you think: A Newbie guide

by vanessa | Oct 10, 2018 | Blog, Entrepreneurs, Side-Hustles

blogging is easier than you think: a newbie guide

Many people believe that blogging is complicated, but you just have to change your perception

Many of us see blogging as a beast that needs to be slain and we often don’t utilize it as a tool for success. But blogging is an effective way to make money online, sure there will be moments when you are not sure you are doing the right thing, but this is what we get wrong. Blogging doesn’t have to be complicated, we make it so with our rules.

Sure, you should follow the advice of people who are experts at blogging, but here’s the thing, don’t listen to too many voices. Follow the guidelines of a few and run with it. The most important thing when it comes to blogging is to know that it is like running a marathon.

In order to win that race you have to keep going forward, keeping the end in sight rather than being too terrified to commit to anything. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you are blogging.

Baby steps

I know I hate hearing that statement as well, but you must understand Rome wasn’t build in a day and nor will you become a blogging expert in a month. Sure, you might make a lot of money from blogging, but even experts who have been blogging for years are still learning.

So, with that take a deep breath and know it takes time

What you have to keep in mind is it is better to start than to keep waiting around for the answers to float towards you on a cloud of dust. So, keep remembering that. Baby steps and you have completed half the battle.

Writing takes practice

I love writing, maybe because I have been doing it since I was thirteen. It doesn’t matter what kind of writing it is, usually it takes trial and error for me to get it right, but I eventually do.

Most people regard writing as an art form, sure it is if you are writing a fiction book, but if you are blogging it’s all about practice. The more you write the better you get and this will help motivate you.

The first time you write a blog post it will be the most painful process you will go through. That’s a bit of an exaggeration. With time you’ll get better at writing, but it does take patience.

Also Related: Tips & Tools to Write A Good Blog Post

Trial and error

Not everything that you try will work out, there will be missed opportunities, posts that fail to get traction. It is important for this not to affect what you do. Trial and error is simply a part of life, it is a process that you have to commit and with time it becomes second nature.

You can’t be afraid to fail because that is inevitable. As much as trial and error is a part of the process so is failure. You have to fall flat on your face, in order for you to know what mistakes you made. All you have to do is go back to brass tactics and figure out what went wrong in the first instance.

I can’t say you won’t be terrified of failing because that is impossible. Failure is part of the package, got to accept it and move on.

Start Now

If you never start, you never will. You have to get over the fear of starting and push past procrastination lying in wait. The secret to being successful with anything in life is to start now.

Tomorrow or two months from today, but right now

You can pace yourself if you don’t want to jump straight into it, but as long as you start that’s all that matters. I get it, there will always be dozens of reasons why you can’t do something. Don’t listen to those reasons.

Fear will always be nibbling away at your self-worth until you reach the point where you’re not sure if you should even try anymore. Don’t let that be the case, bear in mind that we all had to start somewhere. And if not now then when.

Do a bit of research

When I first started blogging, I knew nothing about it so I made a ton of mistakes. I chose the free version of WordPress only to realize that if I wanted to market myself it was impossible. I knew nothing about niches or themes or even about the importance of adding value.

I didn’t even really know that I could make money from blogging or even how to. The second blog I started, I made a couple of mistakes as well that cost me not only time, but money. The third blog was a passion project that I stopped doing after I realized I wasn’t going to be traveling for a while. Yes, I know it’s strange to start a travel blog and actually not travel. I lost interest with it. Don’t choose a niche that you will get bored with.

Now after making all those mistakes I am wiser, but I wish I did a bit of research before blogging. It would have cut the learning curve in half and that’s why I suggest if you truly want to start a blog, read at least five articles on the subject. Learn from people who have made it, that way it will fast track your success.

Look at choosing the right domain name, niches, hosting and how to make money from blogging. As long as you have a bit of information that’s important. You don’t need to know everything. All you have to know is how to start the right way.

Blogging isn’t as complicated as we make it, all you need to do is research before you get into a niche. What is stopping you from starting a blog?

KEEP PUSHING

VANESSA

How To OverCome The Fear of Blogging

by vanessa | Oct 3, 2018 | blogging, Entrepreneurs, Side-Hustles

how to overcome the fear of blogging

Starting anything new can be terrifying, but conquering your fear or at least overcoming it is a key to success.

In order for you to overcome the fear of blogging you need to take action. Don’t let anxiety stopping you from starting a blog. Follow your passion, build an empire and conquer your fears. I will show you the exact steps on how to overcome the fear of blogging. The steps I laid out work out, but here is an another awesome article on how to overcome the fear of blogging like a pro.

Do you relate to any of these fears when starting a blog

Failing and starting from scratch
Choosing the wrong blog name and not getting any traction
Getting into the wrong niche
Embarrassment from failing
Feeling as if you are not good enough
People thinking less of you because you are a full-time blogger or starting a new business
Putting yourself out there, stepping out of your comfort zone and feeling as if you’re kidding ourselves (I know this one is usually at the top of the list)

Here are my personal fears that I struggled with

My family and friends thinking I won’t succeed
Not succeeding
My disability getting the best of me
Failing for the third time again in less than 3 years
Not making money
Feeling like a failure

I know these are a lot of fears all combined into one terrifying package. Why even try when there are a lot of reasons you can fail? So, what’s the point of all this. Real talk, fear can stop you from pushing forward if you allow it too. So, I will show you the ways to overcome failure so that you can find a why and build on your dreams.

Overcome Fear of Failing

Stop trying to eliminate fear, because you can’t

Wait what! You can’t eliminate fear, it’s a part of being human. Even successful people are afraid of something. Being fearless doesn’t mean an absence of fear, it is being courageous inspite of your fear. Keep that in your mind and let it soak in.

If you want to achieve something then you have to go after it, despite all the fears in your life.

You cannot eliminate fear, it gives you purpose and pushes you past the obstacles

Get comfortable, fear is a good thing. I know, how can something that makes you doubt yourself be a good thing. Because it becomes part of your story.

Listen…in life there will be problems in your life and you will be terrified of stepping out of your comfort zone. If you want to overcome the fear of blogging, you need to step out of your comfort zone. This is a must.

Don’t eliminate fear, because it is the one tool that you can use for success

Your Mistakes and Failures are a Frame for Life Lessons

We have a frame for life lessons. It’s the one thing that will keep you pushing you. My first and second blog bombed so badly that I thought about quitting blogging. It was excruciating, but I realized that I could do better. I went back to the mistakes I made and realized where I went wrong.

It was then that I realized my mistakes were now a frame for me to do better. And that’s what I did, I did the opposite of what I did before. We all make mistakes and it is what you do from the lessons you learn that makes you different from everyone else.

Use your life lessons to build your house on a rock instead of sand. Have a foundation for your life, because without it everything becomes harder to cope. A smart person learns from mistakes, but an intelligent person learns from other people’s mistakes. Learn how to not let your mistakes define you.

Write out what will happen as a result of failing

Writing it down will help you overcome your failure. Because you might fail, it’s possible it won’t be as successful as you hope it will be. There are no guarantees in life, that’s a simple fact. We have this notion that if we play by all the rules then life will be the way we want it to be.

I used to play by the rules and I still lost the game.

It was then that I realized I had to play a different game and write down what would happen if I failed. Fear is simply fake events appearing real. Because even though there’s a chance you can fail, there’s also a likelihood that you won’t. Understanding why you are afraid to do something will help you overcome your fear of blogging. For example, I am terrified of spiders, but when I understood my fear. It started to look silly. That is the same thing when it comes to blogging.

Here are a few fears you can write down.

Losing hope and thinking that success isn’t for you
Depression
Telling everyone that you failed and feeling like you disappointed your loved ones
Having to regroup and maybe quit following the online game
Going back to work with your head down and begging your boss for your old job back (don’t quit your job before you get traction from your blog)
Losing money that you didn’t have all so you can follow your dreams

There are a lot of fears that you can have, write them all down and realize that your fears are not a reflection of who you are. They might not even happen, but you have to believe that.

When you write down your fears they sound silly. Because the reality is that fears are meant to scare you into not breaking the rules. Be a rule breaker.

Even if the worst case scenario happens, you will be fine. I have gone through it and I had wounds from it. But I did survive, your life will have detours, but that isn’t meant to stop you, but give you more ammunition.

Quotes to help you pull yourself help

Care about people’s approval, and you will always be their prisoner

– Lao Tzu

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly.
– Albert Einstein

Life is too short to waste any amount of time on wondering what other people think about you. In the first place, if they had better things going on in their lives, they wouldn’t have the time to sit around and talk about you. What’s important to me is not others’ opinions of me, but what’s important to me is my opinion of myself.— C. JoyBell C.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” — Steve Jobs

Never dull your shine for somebody else

― Tyra Banks

These quotes will show you that letting your fears disturb you will keep you always in the back. So, don’t let that stop you from starting a blog.

Why even start a blog

Now, that we’re at the end of this post, I will give you an insight why you should even start a blog. There has to be an easier way to make money online, start a brand or create an impact right. You have to start to believe that you can overcome your fear of blogging because in the end only you can make the choice.

Umm…no

First of all, starting a blog isn’t as complicated as people make it out to be. The first step is to just start. Make mistakes, roll in the dirt and get into the trenches, but just do it. Throw out your fears, literally ignore them and do it.

Sure, you might wake up in panic mode the next day and want to hurl pillows at the walls. Less effective than breaking glasses or anything that’s breakable, but also less work. Even if you want to do that, know that taking that first step is progress.

Here are a few reasons;

Want to eventually quit 9-5
Make money online
Easy to setup
Create an impact or legacy
Want to break the rules

Blogging is a joy because I know that it’s more than a hobby, it’s an income stream that will help create an impact and help people find their purpose and why. Search within yourself and you will find the answers sooner than you can imagine.

What are some of the fears that is preventing you from starting a blog. Comment below

KEEP PUSHING

VANESSA

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